American family considering Hong Kong

[Titus]

Business circumstances are causing us to consider relocating ourselves to Hong Kong. We'll leave the issue of a visa for a different thread. In this thread, I just want to cover some of the basic concerns I have about how, where, and if we'll fit in, and whether this is even a tenable thing. I've been researching this all week.

We're a large family, 4 kids and 2 adults (my wife and myself). My wife is pregnant with our 5th. We have a home of about 3000 sq ft in the US. I'm an obese man (5'11"/275 lbs), but my family is otherwise fairly normally sized physically. I work from home as a software engineer and sysadmin for a US-based company.

My first concern is family size. I would speculate that more than 1-2 kids is not common in Hong Kong. If we even could make a move out there work financially, how would we be received by the culture? Would people hold us in hostility? Would people just think it was weird, but not really mind? Will my wife get derisive comments if she takes the kids out while I work? If we don't want to pay tuition at private international schools, what will the schooling experience for the kids be like? Should we expect them to have a hard time? Should Americans even consider public schooling in HK?

Next, I'm concerned about physical space. We have ~3000 sq ft now for ~$1650 USD, which is obviously many times cheaper than we'd be able to find in HK. We've accepted if we move there we'll have to settle for around 1300-1500 sq ft. In the US homes that size are usually 2 bedrooms. We have 5 in our current house. With space at such a premium, I don't know if or how working from home will really work for me. We'd have difficulty spending more than $20k HKD/mo for housing. Is there a specific place to look at that price range for a family like ours? From reading it sounds like Discovery Bay would be the best fit for us, very Americanized, but I don't know if we'd be able to afford it. We don't want to live in the heart of the city, so something on Lantau Island or in the New Territories is probably where we'd settle. We wouldn't want to live in Kowloon or on Hong Kong Island.

With my large physical size, I'm worried that I'll be seen as sucking up all of the oxygen in the area and that I won't fit on public transport. I don't think I'm grotesquely obese, but I know in tightly-packed cities like HK things are always cozier, and that Asians are small to begin with. Will I be unable to function in Hong Kong as a substantially overweight white man?

My wife and kids are not very interested in learning a new language, especially one as hard as Cantonese. I think it's because they're mostly worried about how hard it will be. Any Americans with recommendations for overcoming this in reluctant family?

Thanks in advance.

From the sound of it (kids not wanting to learn a new language, wife already afraid of "hostility from locals", looking only to live with fellow Americans with no desire to mix with locals), your entire family is moving because of your job. And from the sound of them offering you 20k for accommodations, they aren't paying you through the nose. If I were you I would stay put, I'm pretty sure the rest of your family will hate it. Sorry for the bluntness

[Titus]

We absolutely would not move without making multiple visits first. That said, yes, we know about the smog. It sucks, but I'm hoping being semi-remote will help somewhat. Since I work from home and don't necessarily have to be outside on bad air quality days, hoping it won't be a massive issue. We've lived in places in the US that had seasonally poor air quality, and it sucked too, but wasn't a deal breaker.

Crowds, I'm sure I can't fathom until I get there. I do have some experience with crowds, but hate them. Another reason we don't want to live near the big districts.

We live in Florida now so not that concerned about the climate. Should be roughly analogous from what I've seen.

The cost of HK itself is a big downside for us. As this thread has already established, space in the US is way cheaper. No matter how much less expensive everything else is (and the prospect of reasonably-priced medical care is another big plus), it's going to be hard to make up a 250% jump in housing costs.

Well if you do visit, send me a PM I'd be glad to show you around the different neighbourhoods if our schedules match up.

My boss and now partner was in a situation 3 years ago where in order to grow his business he needed to set up a base in HK. But instead of moving here himself he hired me (returnee) and three years later we now have our own factory in Shenzhen and grew distribution of his products to 7 countries outside the US. So I know about the sacrifices you have to make to come out here IF you can't find anyone dependable (I LOLed at his initial offer 3 years ago and I was like you're gonna pay someone the salary of a local uni grad to look after all your assets and bank account???). If you are a partner in the business, you should send someone you trust but who is single, they will adjust and adapt a lot easier than your family of 5.... And at cheaper costs to the business too. But again someone you TRUST....

[threelittlepigs]

To be fair, the kids are all under 6, so they really don't know any better. I don't know how your wife with a 5th on the way can manage 4 young kids and a whole new country and culture. Just the kids without the rest would stress her out. Four kids in school = $20k per month just for schooling. If you rent a village house it will be cheaper but it will be out in the sticks. So will need a car (7 seater).

[big_panda]

An alternative is for you to come out to Hong Kong on you own, and leave the kids and wife back home, with frequent trips back while you set up this new venture.

[MandM!]

Don't forget to consider the cost to run a car. Petrol is about US $8-10 per gallon and if you live in the sticks, you're gonna have hella traffic and tunnel fee. Parking, license fees, tunnels, tolls, gasoline, inspection and annual scamathon to get a new MOT inspection can run you about 10k a month easily. If you have a newer car, don't forget the 150% tax on buying a new car.

[MandM!]

An alternative is for you to come out to Hong Kong on you own, and leave the kids and wife back home, with frequent trips back while you set up this new venture.

Leave the wife and 5 kids...

Might as well hire a helper and skip the trips back home.

[bookblogger]

It is possible to find good deals - but again, very hard for a new comer and these deals are HARD to find.

1750 sq ft in Pok Fu Lam for $45K (ok but OLD building - I've seen it before). I expect that apartment will be on the market for a week or less.

https://geoexpat.com/classifieds/apa...wner/ad/280325

Or you could just move into the empty three-storey mansion on the Peak which has about 8 bedrooms, glitzy 1970s features, open fireplaces and a view over the harbour... squabbling absentee owners cannot agree what to do with it so you could probably live there for a year before they notice.

[HK_Katherine]

Don't forget to consider the cost to run a car. Petrol is about US $8-10 per gallon and if you live in the sticks, you're gonna have hella traffic and tunnel fee. Parking, license fees, tunnels, tolls, gasoline, inspection and annual scamathon to get a new MOT inspection can run you about 10k a month easily. If you have a newer car, don't forget the 150% tax on buying a new car.

FFS you don't NEED a car, even in the sticks - at least not until family member #6 is too big to squeeze into a 5 person taxi..... Plenty of accommodation and even village housing in the NT with very good bus access - provided, as I noted earlier, you find the school first and then move nearby. The OP wants to work from home so he does NOT need to drive into work - NO NEED to ever visit the island so no need to incur tolls.

I think it's also pretty mean to say it won't work because he's american and can't cope with cultural change... WTF folks - I know some americans who are really culturally aware and adaptable... and others who are not. Give the poor sod a chance before you damn him for just being an American. The fact he's asking sensible questions and doing his own research is a damn good start. And his kids are YOUNG - they are flexible and will cope with whatever you throw at them. It's the wife that would concern me.

[TheBrit]

I wouldn't want to think about the logistics of four young children and no car, living out in the boonies. We all know you have a bus fetish, but seriously - try taking two toddlers on a bus.. Yet alone a school age child, two toddlers and a baby to boot. It simply isn't feasible.

[HK_Katherine]

the other thing that is worth pointing out about HK, is that you can also get a helper. That would really help out your wife with the young kids, and they are not that expensive (circa 4k a month, plus you have to give them a room to sleep in, they must be live-in). That's one of the big plusses of raising kids here actually.